The other day I was eating lunch and my two dogs were sitting at my feet like they always do when I have food.  I was watching them-- half laughing/half annoyed--as their eyes followed the food from the plate to my mouth.  I started to mess with them a little and draw the food through the air just to watch their heads move in sync as they followed my every move. I thought: No one had to teach them this. It's an instinct. They want what I've got and they have locked their eyes on it.  They have complete concentration.  

I think we all look intently on the "things" that we want and sometimes these things have to be given to us. Often we have our eyes intently fixed on these things, but we ignore the person who gives it to us.

I wondered how many times I payed more attention to the things I had asked God for,  then I had Him.  How many times have I found more value in what was being given then who was giving it?

Chris Coleman and I took a little snowboarding daytrip to Sugar Mountain the other day.  It was pretty awesome ('m not gonna lie), until it started snowing and the daunting thought of driving back in really bad conditions forced us to make the decision to pack up early and head home.  Uh,... yeah. That was a brilliant idea. We spent the next 11 hours on the road trying to get back home. It should have taken us just under 5 hours.

Anywho, it wasn't all bad. I learned that my all-wheel-drive Passat is a CHAMP in the snow and we got to see a lot of wrecks--no one was hurt , though. It's amazing to me how many bad *and stupid* decisions people will make when the road conditions get dangerous. 

Take for example, the two cars that decided to stop in the middle of the road--in opposite directions!-- and talk to their buddies who were standing on the side of the road drinking beers.  AND THIS WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF A HILL MIND YOU!!!  When we first noticed the cars, we were about a hundred yards away so I threw the car down into 3rd gear... then anti-lock brakes...NOPE. We weren't stopping.  Needless to say, after 400 "Oh, please God(s)" and roughly 96 yards of sliding, we finally stopped and that's when they realized they probably shouldn't have blocked the road with their cars. Ya think? Genius. 

Other notable amazing things:  30-40 cars wrecked on the side of the road, a Semi trying to make it up an off-ramp it was sliding down, more yellow lights than I EVER want to see, Chris peeing in a bottle in my car, and us being EXTREMELY close to snowboarding down the median of a highway.  

I'm not kidding.  I almost got out 3 different times.  Now THAT would have been an even better story.

peace.

j

I had a great weekend at THE LOFT in The Woodlands, Texas. So great in fact, that I thought I would write a poem. Just kidding! But I will tell you some of the things I love about THE LOFT:

- Everyone has a job and everyone does it well. There’s never been anyone scrambling around trying to figure something out.
- Everyone is prepared. There has always been plenty of communication and no one is left in the dark.
- The Pastor (Andy) is real. 3 Messages over three services and each one was a little different. It was the same basic message but different stories, jokes, etc. He was speaking from his heart and it showed. It was awesome!
- Great Audio/Visual. They spent money on the systems and they have professionals to run the systems. 'Nuff said.
- Great environment. When people walk in, they feel comfortable. They have managed to create a place that is aesthetically pleasing and completely comfortable.
- Great people. I love The Woodlands! I should since I lived there for 6 years. I love the people, the culture, the spirit. The Loft has done a great job teaching worship through music and it shows: a culture of people willing to surrender to the great expectations of God. It was really easy to worship with everyone.

Well, that’s not all that I like about the THE LOFT. But it’s enough to get started. ☺
Peace, love, and uncontrollable happiness!

I had Rodney Mills Master House master my EP. They did an amazing job and brought out exactly what I was looking for. Well, I really wasn’t sure what I was looking for, to be honest, but when I listened to the songs the first time I said “THAT’S IT!” Matt, from Master House, was incredible. He was friendly, answered every one of my 200 questions, and went over and above to make the final product exactly what I was looking for. Check em’ out. They Rock.

http://www.rodneymills.com

j

Aaron Thompson of Absolute Recordings mixed the whole record, and tracked drums and bass on 2 songs off of it. If I had to sum up my experience working with Aaron in one word, it would be “WOW!” We started the project at Absolute Recordings tracking drums for IT IS WELL, and TO KNOW YOUR NAME. Brandon Coker played drums on those tracks, and Aaron played bass while mixing and tracking the drums. Aaron’s attention to detail and knowledge of how to get the exact sound he, or anyone else in the room, was looking for was superb. He always got the sound just right.

When it came time for the MIX, he took his time and pulled out everything we all hoped it would be. He spent time where he needed to and moved me along where I needed to be. I am so happy with the final mix and I can’t wait to work with him again in the future!

j